| I have been a fan of food smokers for many years | | | | range foods are fully cooked, moist and flavorful. If you |
| and I have owned several, however nothing I have | | | | smoke foods hotter than 185 degrees F the foods will |
| ever owned, can hold a candle to the cutting edge | | | | shrink excessively and can split. Smoking at high |
| modern smokers of today. The smoker that I currently | | | | temperatures reduces yield as both moisture and fat |
| own is a Bradley Technologies smoker. The particular | | | | are cooked away. |
| model that I own is called the "Jim Beam". It is an | | | | COLD SMOKING- is usually used as a flavor enhancer |
| electric, 4 rack, self contained digital smoker with an | | | | for beef, pork, poultry, fish and other seafoods. Items |
| automatic feed for the wood chips which are referred | | | | can be cold smoked for short periods to give a touch |
| to as bisquettes. They are compressed "patties" of | | | | of flavor or they can be cold smoked for longer |
| wood that rather resemble a hockey puck. They are | | | | periods for a more intense flavor. The foods are then |
| inserted into a smoke chamber which funnels the | | | | ready to be finished cooking by methods such as |
| smoke to the food compartment and they are | | | | baking, roasting, grilling and sauteing. They may also |
| dispensed at an interval of 1 every 20 minutes. This | | | | then be hot smoked for an even deeper smoked |
| self feed feature makes smoking almost a no brainer | | | | flavor. Temperatures for cold smoking should be |
| as there is no need to constantly monitor and manually | | | | below 100 degrees F. In this temperature range foods |
| feed the smoker. The digital temperature control | | | | take on a rich smoky flavor, develop a deep |
| consistently regulates the temperature at varying | | | | mahogany color and will retain a moist texture, |
| degrees so there is no guesswork or room for error. | | | | however they are not considered cooked by this |
| Smoking foods is actually a process of cooking, | | | | process. |
| flavoring and preserving foods by exposing them to | | | | SMOKE ROASTING- is the process of both roasting |
| the smoke of smoldering plant material. Different | | | | and smoking concurrently. Sometimes this is referred |
| woods are normally used in the smoking process and | | | | to as barbequing or pit roasting. This may be done in a |
| different wood varieties produce different flavors. Fish | | | | barbeque pit, a smoke roaster, or any smoker that can |
| and meats are the most commonly smoked foods | | | | reach 250 degree F or higher. Foods are considered |
| although many other foods such as vegetables, | | | | fully cooked when properly smoked by this method. |
| cheeses, nuts and even fruits turn out quite tasty. | | | | Personally one of my favorite smoked foods is a |
| Alder has been the traditional smoking wood in Europe | | | | standing rib roast. I love to smoke this roast in my |
| for many years but oak is becoming very popular. In | | | | Bradley smoker with the hickory flavored bisquettes. |
| America there are many other popular smoking | | | | Bradley even makes Jim Beam wood flavored |
| woods being used. Mesquite, hickory, oak, pecan, alder, | | | | bisquettes which I am dying to try for my next |
| maple, apple, cherry and plum are among the favorites | | | | standing rib roast. Another of my favorites is a |
| that are commonly used. Some American ham and | | | | smoked turkey and here's my little secret, I mix |
| bacon smokehouses even use burning corn cobs as | | | | mesquite with cherry bisquettes. This imparts a nice |
| their choice for a unique smoked flavor. Sawdust from | | | | smoky flavor with a just hint of sweetness.The |
| the Manuka (tea tree) is commonly used for smoking | | | | possibilites are literally endless with all the different |
| fish in New Zealand. Historically farms in America | | | | foods, the many varieties of wood flavored bisquettes, |
| would include a small building referred to as the | | | | and the combination of the wood bisquettes. I am |
| smokehouse, where meats could be smoked and | | | | always thinking of new and innovative ways to use |
| stored. Usually these would be separated from other | | | | my Bradley digital Jim Beam smoker. The fact that the |
| buildings because of possible fire damage and excess | | | | unit is electric and I do not have to change propane |
| smoke. | | | | tanks and buy dirty charcoal just fuels my desire to |
| There are different variations of smoking. Hot smoking, | | | | smoke away. My Bradley smoker allows year round |
| cold smoking and smoke roasting just to name a few. | | | | food enjoyment for myself as well as my family, |
| HOT SMOKING- exposes foods to both smoke and | | | | friends and neighbors.I have become the hit of the |
| heat in a controlled environment. Although foods that | | | | neighborhood since I got my Bradley smoker. I |
| have been hot smoked are sometimes reheated or | | | | constantly leave them wondering just what I am going |
| cooked they are typically safe to eat without further | | | | to come up with next. It amazes me that an old |
| cooking. Hams are considered fully cooked once they | | | | fashioned method of food preservation in the |
| are properly smoked. Hot smoking takes place within | | | | pre-refrigeration days has become a modern day |
| the range of 165-185 degrees F. In this temperature | | | | recipe for just plain FUN! |